Mumbai, Dec 3 (NationPress) The Shiv Sena (UBT) asserted on Wednesday that the elections for Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayat in Maharashtra are engulfed in controversy and administrative disarray, following a ruling from the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court that has postponed all vote counting until December 21.

The party emphasized that this order requires that the counting of votes cast on December 2 be delayed for 19 days, with results to be announced alongside the polls that have already been rescheduled to December 20. This entire election process has devolved into a “complete farce (khelkhondoba)” and serves as a representation of “lax governance and anarchy,” as both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the State Election Commission (SEC) face serious allegations of corruption and procedural irregularities.

The Thackeray faction, in a critical editorial in their party publication, 'Saamana', claimed that the election process has been marked by “chaos, confusion, and suspicion,” with discrepancies noted in everything from voter lists to the actual voting procedures.

As reported in the editorial, the counting for 246 Nagar Parishads and 42 Nagar Panchayats, which was initially planned for December 3, has been delayed following a legal challenge aimed at preventing early results from swaying the voting in the 12 districts where elections have been postponed. The delay in counting necessitates that the EVMs used today remain secured for nearly three weeks. Opposition parties have raised serious concerns regarding the security of these machines, which will be stored for 19 days, questioning who can ensure their safety and raising fears of a potential ‘EVM scam’ by the ruling establishment, already accused of achieving power through election fraud.

“Consequently, the voting machinery that was prepared on Tuesday must remain 'secure' for 19 full days—who will guarantee it remains tamper-proof, and how?” the editorial questioned. “Everyone has witnessed the chaos and confusion in Assembly elections. In the current Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayat elections, the three ruling parties—especially the BJP—have openly utilized tactics of 'sam, dam, dand, bhed (persuasion, purchase, punishment, division)'. There have also been instances of cash bags and the seizure of large sums of money from this very constituency. These constituencies are actively vying for power. The Chief Ministers delivered sermons on 'ethics, regulations, and funds' during campaign rallies. Despite the court’s new ruling, there was no hesitation in expressing sharp dissatisfaction,” noted the Thackeray camp in their editorial.

Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena further stated, “Can trust be placed in the ruling alliance that rose to power through election manipulation? With voting and counting now separated by 19 days, a period of uncertainty looms.” The initial turmoil that led to the staggered voting schedule arose from the SEC’s own admission of ‘irregular’ procedures in 12 districts.

The editorial highlighted that the SEC acknowledged some Election Officers breached the Maharashtra Municipality Election Rules, 1966, by assigning election symbols without providing the mandated three-day withdrawal period for candidates.

Critics have denounced the SEC's last-minute postponement as “highly suspicious” and “planned chaos,” suggesting that the delay was orchestrated to benefit the BJP by granting them additional time for electoral adjustments.

Even Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis publicly expressed considerable discontent regarding the SEC's decision, claiming that the poll body was operating improperly and that the process of postponing announced elections was “not proper.”

However, the opposition dismissed the CM's response as a “well-staged drama,” asserting that the Chief Minister was merely ‘play-acting’ while the SEC, referred to as a ‘joker’, would not have acted without his implicit approval, according to the editorial.